Baseball: Har-Ber swings into contention with Kimbel at bat

SPRINGDALE -- The emergence of junior Caleb Kimbel is a primary reason Springdale Har-Ber is tied for the lead in the 7A-West Conference baseball standings.

Kimbel is a swift and powerful outfielder who plays baseball with a football player's mentality. The left-handed slugger is particularly aggressive at the plate where he's batting .397 with 8 doubles, 4 home runs and 18 RBIs.

"I'm not surprised at all the type of season Caleb is having," Har-Ber coach Ron Bradley said. "He contributed off the bench last year when he was only one of two sophomores on the team. He was able to get some quality playing time and it's paid off this year."

Har-Ber enters the final week of the regular season with a chance to win or share the conference championship. Har-Ber (17-10, 9-3) beat Fayetteville 6-3 on Tuesday, while Bentonville (16-7, 9-3) eased past Rogers, 5-4.

Har-Ber plays rival Springdale High in its final series, while Bentonville faces Fayetteville on Monday and Tuesday. A scheduling change has Har-Ber and Springdale playing at Arvest Ballpark at noon on Saturday, followed by a second game at the Tyson Sports Complex at 5 p.m. on Tuesday. Saturday's game was originally scheduled as a doubleheader then changed to a single game because Har-Ber has its prom on Saturday.

No matter, Har-Ber vs. Springdale should be quite a series after Springdale beat Fort Smith Southside on Tuesday to keep its state tournament hopes alive.

"Springdale is tough," Kimbel said of the Bulldogs, who beat Bentonville 1-0 last week. "They've definitely come a long ways from where they had been."

Har-Ber has also come a long way since losing three of four games in a tournament in Springfield, Mo., nearly a month ago. Bradley experimented with his lineup, hoping some new players would emerge to help the cause. Har-Ber instead struggled and lost one game when four pitches combined to walk 18 batters.

But just when it appeared Har-Ber was about to fade, the Wildcats earned series sweeps over Rogers Heritage and Fort Smith Southside and split with Fayetteville. Har-Ber showed a lot of resolve on Tuesday after losing 2-1 to Fayetteville on Monday when the Bulldogs scored twice in the seventh inning.

Kimbel drew two walks and lined out in the rematch and made all the plays in left field. He's made only two errors in 27 games while playing mostly left field and center. The left-hander helps occasionally on the mound, where he has a 0-0 record and 2.62 earned run average in five appearances.

"Caleb is strong," Bradley said. "He's probably the strongest guy in our program. He works hard in the weight room and a left-handed bat is always a quality everyone is looking for at the next level. He's also a left-handed pitcher who's been able to give us some quality innings on the weekends."

Kimbel is also an outdoors man who went deep sea fishing in March when Har-Ber was playing in a tournament in Gulf Shores, Ala. The expedition took place in Louisiana with teammates Brady Patrick, Daniel Ezell, and Ezell's family.

"That was awesome," Kimbel said. "We caught some big tuna and a couple of sharks, too."

Although hunting and fishing will always be a part of his life, Kimbel's passion is baseball. After his senior year, Kimbel hopes to play at the college level like his older brother, Matt Kimbel, who played at Central Arizona.

"He's definitely a college prospect," Bradley said. "No question about that. He'll have some options to go to a junior college or pursue a four-year school. He'll just have to find the place that is the right fit for him."

Sports on 04/28/2016